Stage 11, Canton, OH to Olean, NY

Thursday, June 11 -- Stage 11, Canton, OH to Olean, NY (285 miles)

Winston left Canton in mist. After an afternoon stop in Franklin, PA we managed to reach our starting place four minutes late. It was catch up time! We made it all up except 21 seconds! Final score for the day 1:22, leaving a better feeling than yesterday! And we stayed on course!

Lunch in New Castle, PA, was an exhilarating experience. A very large crowd, estimated at 20,000, waited for the racers, which is a little unusual for the mid-day stop. After a wonderful lunch there was even more excitement – a daytime fireworks show. After all, New Castle is the fireworks capital of the world.

Every day, Margo makes sure the truck gets to our finish point loaded with parts and spares. Note the spare engine on the left of our dog-mechanic!

Tomorrow would begin the “Championship Run.” Scores from Friday and Saturday would be combined with the single best score from the previous days to determine final position. With the 13 seconds on Stage 7 last Saturday, we were still very much in the competition.

The Great Race Newsletter published that day:

ANOTHER RECORD FALLS!

On the eve of The History Channel Great Race’s Championship
Run, the townspeople of New Castle, PA (the fireworks capital of the world)
threw a party. Accepting the invitation were 65 Great Racers; over 25,000 people
played host, throwing what could only be described as a Fourth of July
celebration three weeks early.

As Tom McRae, Great Race founder, "I couldn’t believe it! After
a terrific turnout of 24,000 in Canton, Ohio, I never deamed we’d match it at
the next lunch stop. But everybody in New Castle turned out and turned up...a
mob of people were there to greet Great Racers. The biggest lunch stop ever was
clearly over 25,000 people."

According to Sam McRae, V.P. of Marketing for The History
Channel Great Race, the organizers of the New Castle event went above and beyond
the call of duty. "In every host community, we provide a list of basic ideas,
out of which most cities will select a few. New Castle incorporated the entire
formula, and then added their own spin. With each car’s entrance, fireworks were
set off, ticker tape came down, and New Castle cheerleaders danced the Macarena.
Every storefront was covered, and a school coloring contest drew 11,000 entries.
For the Great Race entrants, it was probably our greatest lunch reception
ever."

With eleven days and 3,200 miles behind them, Great Race
competitors are running on adrenalin, and the stops in Canton and New Castle
have fueled their enthusiasm. Mechanical fatigue has plagued the race cars, and
physical fatigue is seen in the eyes and felt in the bones of virtually everyone
in a competitive car. As bolts and bits are tested, so are the nerves and
courage of those Great Racers in the Championship hunt. In the Championship run,
competitors take their best day of the previous eleven and add it to the results
of the final two.

In the shadow of the Alleghenys, Olean, New York provided the
final tune-up for this Great Race showdown. It’s time to get serious.

RESULTS-WE GOT ‘EM!

-In the front row of the Championship hunt are Dick Burdick
and Wayne Bell, winning their third straight stage with :06. An ace on leg
two, three :03s, and a .718 age factor for their 1916 provided the result. Dick
Burdick credited their belief in their speedo. "It treated us good." Close
behind in their ‘29 Model A speedster were Jim Hampton and Ty Holmquist
with :10. Also on the podium were the "Ron-John" team of Ron Ferris and
John Sears. An ace on leg two helped net a :12 and a tie with the newer
vehicle of Wilson/Dunn.

-Car #54 is easy to find...it’s once again at the top of Rookie
standings. Bill Josler and Donna Rinkel had a :06, :14, :07, and :11 for
a :33 total. Bill credited a great car, great navigator, and an OK effort on his
part. A close second were "The Timeless Teenagers", Skip McCoshum and Gell
Shunn with a :36, while Wollmer/Wollmer were some distance back with
a :55 for third.

"Par-Tee Time" can best describe the Sportsman combo of Al
Partee, Jr. and Rich Clark, topping Sportsman division. With an amazing
consistency in legs 2, 3, and 4, their ‘40 Ford finished a tough day with an
absolutely great :22. In second was Newman/Newman with :27, and
Merrill/Merrill rounded out the top three with :29.

X-CUP X-CITEMENT!

It was Win, Place, and quite a show for the X-Cuppers from
Astronaut High. The Titusville teams took the two top spots, with
Astronaut #1 finishing first with :32, and #2 finishing second with :37. #1's
pilot/instructor Jim LaCoy noted a bear sighting, which we find ‘bearly’
believable. Titusville’s Dave Mark was proud of his kids one-two finish,
citing their work on the cars. He added that the team is getting through this
race ‘because of the kids, which is what it’s all about.’

-Third place was nailed by Brillion Co-op with an oh-so-close :43. It appears to be wide-open in X-Cup, with
most teams capable of a win on any given stage.

RUMBLESEAT

Pick up your daily stage (1st or 2nd)
awards, Aces and Top 20 medals between 7 and 8 Friday in between the MBNA tent
and the NASCAR trailer!!--Happy Birthday to Stoney, who is now 26 and
sweet enough to share his cake. He finally got a new hat--let’s hope he wears
it!

John Bervidand Ron Wollmer came in 3rd
in Rookie Division Thursday--maybe because John finally remembered to put the 3
pennies in his pocket his granddaughters gave him for good luck!-The D.A.R.E.
car is only an ‘89, but lost its transmission Thursday. Thanks to the Franklin,
PA Police Chief who led officer Mike Lesser to a city garage to get the
Caprice running again.-Also, thanks to the X-cuppers who help set up and
tear down tents and gates at each venue, and Andrew Holly for the assist
with Bob Harris and Robert Dinges! And a big hand to Qualcomm and Chevy
Trucks--who keep us all on the road! --There will be a chapel at 8 a.m.
Sunday-check this column Saturday for more details!--Hatnappers beware! Wayne
Stanfield is mad. He wants his stolen hat back. Wayne, ever think of offering a
reward?

Neither rain, nor sleet--Part 1

You know the rest--except we’re talking about Great Racers, not
letter carriers. Teams slogged through hail and those other elements on the run
to Haverhill. Some were thoroughly chilled by the rain and cold. Others liked
it. "We practiced in the rain on our day off," said three-time champion
navigator Wayne Stanfield. "Charlie (Currie) and I put some Rain-X on the
windshield to keep it clear because we don’t have any wipers. And Charlie drives
without his glasses because the most important thing he does is watch the
speedometer. We carry a one-gallon freezer bag to keep our instructions dry and
sometimes put a blanket over the lower part of the radiator."-- Bruce Grant
(part 2 Saturday!)

IMPORTANT NOTE!!

John Classen reminds support drivers that there IS vehicle
parking in Syracuse. Each team should have instructions, but if you don’t, pick
them up at HQ by Friday’s afternoon pitstop!